-beats in my head-

more to follow :)

2009-08-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks very much to renaye from Speak to My Finger!
Hahah, to be honest, I don't think I deserve this though. If anything - laziest blogger of the millenium. But its nice to know you have someone that likes your blog :)

Anyways, here's the blogs I love best, in no particular order, with more to follow becase it is late and my brain is ceasing all function.

The rules of these awards are:

1. To accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his/her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you�ve discovered and think are great! Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Continuing the tradition, I will pass it to:

1. Our Second Blossoming
2. henkka
3. Speak to my Finger
4. Tin Tee Treehouse
5. unchained
6. International Wota
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Ponyo On A Cliff New Theme Song?!!

2009-08-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

....What....did they do to the Ponyo theme.... T_T
From the original:

To this, for the english version (heheh, I'll be waiting to film SB's reaction when he hears this XD):

Sure on the one hand they're trying to make the film more accessible to the Western audiences, but RAPPING?! WTFF. Kills the entire vibe of the film man. Can't even do the friggin dance to it anymore lol (not that I err...ever did... >_>). I don't like to slag music, because I usually sound like an idiot. But I was just scarred into a mixed state of shock, disgust and horror when a friend linked me to it last night. Had to wash my ears out with some good rock afterwards. To quote someone from the 4chan forums...

"SOMEONE PLEASE RIP MY EARS OFF THESE TEARS OF BLOOD WON'T STOP."

Oh, but the movie in its original version is wonderfully brilliant. :)

SUGIZO JOINS X JAPAN!

2009-05-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Its been a little quieter around here, but this is something definitely newsworthy. I was just checking my daily feed of music on intlwota this morning, and man. Totally awesome news. And yeah, yeah, I know i'm just regurgitating what's already been said. But for those of you checking in here, SUGIZO (ex-Luna Sea guitarist) is now 'officially' a member of X JAPAN. Hahah, cool as. Here's the link for more info at tokyograph - "X Japan: Heath performing, SUGIZO joining". Hmm..I wonder if they've got a release another new album planned in the mix of things. Hmm. All we need now is for Luna Sea to reform, and then we'll have an excuse to party like its '99 again :D

Also, Sugizo's official myspace has a message from him too :)

Lol. earlier I accidentally put on my msn screenname "ZOMG. SUGIZO ADDED AS OFFICIAL LUNA SEA MEMBER!"
Bad mixup. XD

[credits: intlwota, tokyograph, sugizo's myspace page]

2009-04-19T01:46:00.000-07:00

Man, dont'cha love being young and remembering all those carefree days trying to be a ninja in your back yard when you were little.

Watching stuff like this, its kinda cool to think that its all the more a possibility that people are turning into a reality. Hahah, not that i'd try it at home. Last time that happened, I ended up scraping all the skin off my nose. Had to walk round school for about a week looking like Rudolf the red nose reindeer Q.Q;
Friggin' brilliant. Just to clarify, I was about 10 when this happened. All the same, I still never get tired of watching surreal stuff like this. So. Damn. Cool.

Yeah, I admit it. I watch too much Naruto in my free time lol.

What was the point of this post? I dunno. Been procrastinating studying, so decided i'd just share what I was watching on youtube lol. I neglect -beats- too much. Got three tests coming up in these upcoming weeks, so even though i've been on a break, that's the reason for my lack of posts. Hah. When all else fails, blame it on the study. Anyways, enough of my mindless rambling for now.

This first one's a compilation of Free Running/ Parkour vids that someone made and posted on youtube. Pretty intense. There's some sick stuff on there, that's for sure.

This second vid is a pretty mean one from the Fifa Street 3 videogame. Featuring Team Ryouko? Totally badass. Hahah, i'd actually love to try some of this if I didn't fear lightning striking twice and accidentally doing something along the lines of permenantly spraining my groin.

17/06/2009. Infinity1.

2009-04-17T01:36:00.000-07:00

Damn. SB beat me to it again. NEW DAI SINGLE AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER! Infinity1. After 4 years. Their revival single. 2 new songs. 17/06/2009.

cdjapan.com has more details.

Another thing. Check their official site. Looks pretty interesting - Do! Creative!! - A chance for DAI to sing your original songs?!!

Anyways, this seems kinda fitting to commemorate the moment. Let's see what they bring out when the time comes eh :)

yesterday and today - Do as Infinity

[image credits: http://www.freewebs.com/kiyomichan/jpopartists.htm]

2009-03-25T01:37:00.000-07:00

Ok guys, well, its that fateful time of year again - the night before my first midsem test of the year. Guess what lol.
Comlaw again. Stage 2 now.

As I learned the hard way last year, listening to L's theme song all night does not necessarily mean his intelligence will rub off. XD

So its time to hit the books, one last time for the night.

Yeah. Wish me luck, eh! :)

Hey hey, Intlwota!

2009-03-22T23:29:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to leave a short couple of words, although i'm pathetically late on the scene...

Happy Birthday, International Wota!

Its a great resource that i've found countless new artists to listen to through. The people over there running it are a real cool dedicated team that keep the j-music blogosphere pumping. THE best. So its a real honor for a small fry like me to be affiliated with them.

Thanks to everybody there, you all do a great job. Keep it up eh! :)

Hahah, and hopefully next time this year i'll have a real cake.

P.S. Sorry about the cheapness of the pic. My ms paint skills are... pretty poor lol. Will needa take some lessons from wu. XD

LIAR GAME

2009-03-10T00:30:00.000-07:00

Hmm. All of the stress, paranoia and late night cram sessions associated with study begin again with the arrival of the new semester. Back to early mornings too lol. Waking up to the sound of Alice Nine's White Prayer on my cellphone which serves a dual purpose as my makeshift alarm clock. 5 months of summer vacation passed in a blink and I feel somewhat rubbishy because I didn't actually do anything in all that time lol. Guilt factor kicking in?

Ohhkay, so just for a bit of variety - my first crack at a manga rant. Enjoy.

Liar Game is a series i've been following since around mid last year when someone recommended it to me. Hmm, i'll try not to go on too long about it though. One time I read a 15+ page academic review of Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away. Man, it was so detailed that it went down to explaining the significance of the hidden meanings behind why the blades of grass were drawn in that particular way. Kinda makes you wonder, didn't he just want to make something to entertain people? So, yeah...i'll try to just keep this to a summary of the plot and what I like about it. XD

The manga started in 2005 by Shinobu Kaitani and is still going. New chapter comes out roughly once a month. It opens with Kanzaki Nao, an overly naive and honest high school student who is caught in a dragnet after she accepts an invitation to enter the 'Liar Game'. The purpose is to 'win' her opponents' $100 million dollars, or be left with the enormous debt. Enter, Shinichi Akiyama, a genius ex-con who was previously jailed for bankrupting an entire company by himself. He's also the other protagonist of the story, who agrees to help her. Brings to mind a liar game equivalent to L. Both are pretty damn cool eh. Wonder who would win if they were put against each other in the same manga lol.

The first chapter runs a little bit slow, but yeah. Its just setting up the story to break you into the world of Liar Game. Once the first 'round' kicks in. Man, addictive as. I think its the premise of Liar Game that makes it so addictive eh. Its one of those "psychological" mangas that delve into human tendencies, like greed. In that kinda sense, it reminds me of DeathNote, minus the supernatural thing going on (I'm a bit of a DN nut lol). There's enough plot twists and revelations in each round to keep you hooked onto it and wondering what'll happen next, even though...

Yeah. I don't want to post any spoilers on here, so, read it for yourself! (If it sounds good). Alternatively, you can read what wikipedia has to say on it here. :)
Hmm. Do I still have that bad habit of sounding like a human billboard?

Anyways, there's a live action series of it as well, starring Erika Toda as Nao, and Shota Matsuda (from the Hana Yori Dango - Boys Over Flowers series) as Akiyama. No offence to anyone though, Akiyama looks a bit like an ewok in this picture. From the reviews i've read, the live action version got some good as ratings although I haven't seen it myself. It ran for 11 episodes, with a 3 hour finale.

In short, check it out! Especially if you like psychological mangas. Or have some time on your hands and are just looking for something interesting to read.

2009-03-05T03:03:00.001-08:00

LOL. Just saw this. Thought I'd share. As a friend said, "this is what happens when the cameraman doesn't wear pants." XD

VAMPS - I Gotta Kick Start Now

2009-02-23T00:39:00.000-08:00

Vamps is the collaboration band of L'aruku's singer Hyde and KAZ from Oblivion Dust and Hide with Spread Beaver. Their second single I GOTTA KICK START NOW is set for release on March 13 2009, although its available for preorder, and the PV is already out too. Oh yeah, and the initial pressing comes with a bonus postcard.

Hmm. I don't like to slag any musicians, although to be honest, I was a little disappointed when Love Addict (their first single) was released. It didn't have that same 'bang' as Hyde's other solo stuff - didn't get that same rush like when I hear Masquerade or Season's Call - or L'arc~en~Ciel. But that's just my opinion. All the same, I still got pretty excited when I found out about this second relaease. Its a lot better. Actually, let me edit that. Hahah, hearing it the first time I was a bit skeptical, kinda "...ehh?...". Halfway through it was like, "hey, this isn't too bad."
I absolutely love this song after hearing it a few more times XD

Hyde seems to take a harder, more raw hard rock sound in his vocals with Vamps. The start isn't too memorable, melody-wise at least. But I found I GOTTA KICK START NOW starting to grow on me the more I listened. Most of the song feels like it revolves just around the chorus. Which isn't a bad thing. Reminds me a bit of the Foo Fighters' Learn to Fly.

The PV... I don't quite get, but liked it anyways. It features Hyde and Kaz playing in some pretty cool leather jackets as well as stock footage of a rocket, skateboarding, and a guy falling down a mountain, among other things. All in all, its something new worth listening to. :)

(Hah. Making full use of my newly learned video embedding skills. I am such a technological idiot. XD)

Trouble is the retardedly catchy electro-rock b-side sung completely in English. Its a funny track. Sounds semi-danceable lol. Just listen to it. On the sidebar, as usual.

One last thing. Vamps also have a 2-disc live DVD entitled VAMPS LIVE 2008 that came up for release on February 4th. The tracklist consists of a lot of Hyde's solo works. We finally get to see Hyde play his own version of Glamorous Sky :D
The vampsofficial myspace has more details eh. Man do they have a lot of street teams.

[Credits to 4cielers .com for the link to the Glamorous Sky vid.]

Sugizo - Drop it Like its Hot

2009-02-21T02:12:00.000-08:00

Whoever made this is brilliant.

LUNA SEA - I For You

2009-02-15T03:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day! (Only one day late this time XD). For the event, gonna **hijack and reproduce** renaye's idea for a music special to commemorate the day (hope she doesn't mind!!). I need to add a disclaimer here about the pure cheesiness that'll inevitably come in this post, so don't mind me. It's just a one off thing. Drunk in the mood. Or whatever. Although i'm not even remotely much of a romanticist at all. LOL. I'm really going to hate myself for potentially doing injustice to this one in the morning.

Yeah, I was thinking about what song to do, and there's a few I think'd be a nice match for the event. Y'kno, songs where you get that intangible rush listening to, albeit not being in a sexual way, but because it means something to you - can spend all night getting nostalgically sentimental and reminiscing about the good times in life and feeling old, or whatever. Rather than those calculated to be a popular song for the moment.

Okay. I really need to stop these incessant Luna Sea posts. Although I still recommend 'I For You'. This was the second Luna Sea song that I heard. Not really sad, although on the other hand it'd be a crime to call it a happy song too. Hmm, hard to pinpoint, although it fits the mood. Just listen to it if you haven't before. Even if you can't understand the lyrics, because sometimes music is more about the feeling, y'kno? In that sense you can really appreciate it.

I love the contrast between the dirty crunch of SUGIZO's guitar and that ethereal clean tone Inoran gets in the intro. That's what really hooked me onto it. A beautiful song. Right from beginning to end, with all of the guitar fills and the solo in between. The background strings are also a nice touch that you don't usually see in their music. Some of Luna Sea at their best :) The PV is pretty breathtaking too with that sweeping rush across just endless scenery. Heck, if I ever get married, this will definitely be playing. Well... gotta find a girl that can stand me for more than 10 minutes first.lol >_>. Just kidding. Oh, yeah, and it was also used as the opening to the drama 神様もう少しだ (Precious Time).

Anyways, hope you enjoy!

I for you - LUNA SEA
[Finally figured how to embed this thing.]

I For You
----------

ORIGINAL LYRICS: LUNA SEA
----------------------------------
You told me
That you couldn't love anybody
I finally realised what you meant
When I saw that you were afraid of everybody

How ironic is it
If us two met
only to get hurt?

With all my heart
I have to tell you this
All I want to see is the real YOU

You still don't smile very well
Because even now, you still wear sadness around you

If the only reason I was born
was so I could meet you,
do you think I'll be able to change everything?

With all my heart
I have to tell you this
We're hurt, but we've still got time
With all my love
I love you
I want to wipe away
All the pain that falls on you
I for You

With all my heart
I have to tell you this
If only you could smile at me like that
forever...
With all my love
I love you
I want to gather every piece of light
and give it all to you
I for You

[credits: translations by ami taken from http://www.geocities.co.jp/MusicStar-Piano/1957/lyrics/index.html
and also to renaye from speak to my finger for the idea for this post.]

Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream

2009-02-07T04:46:00.000-08:00

[Somehow this picture makes me think of Indiana Jones :S]

Hey hey, this one's a more recent single by another Aussie-based group - Empire of the Sun. Walking on a dream. It's a pretty damn addictively epic song. Been stuck in my head for the past few weeks already. A mix of pop, electroacoustic and alt, as their myspace page says. The video's pretty cool too, filmed in Shanghai. Kinda inspires me to go there some day :D. I like it eh. You don't usually see so much of the Chinese side of things. Only other video I can think of from the top of my head is probably, whatsitcalled, that 30 Seconds to Mars song - From Yesterday.

Anyways, Walking On A Dream is also the name of their debut album and came out pretty recently too. Another thing added to my list of things yet to get. In the meantime i've been listening to them through streams and the radio lol. XD Yeah, check it out here and tell me what say you :)

Walking on a Dream

Walking on a dream
How can I explain
Talking to myself
Will I see again

We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill
Searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me

Is it real now
When two people become one
I can feel it
When two people become one

Thought I’d never see
The love you found in me
Now it’s changing all the time
Living in a rhythm where the minutes working overtime

Is it real now
When two people become one
I can feel it
When two people become one

Catch me I’m falling down

Don’t stop just keep going on
I’m your shoulder lean upon
So come on deliver from inside
All we got is tonight that is right ‘til first light

(credits: lyrics from their site - http://www.walkingonadream.com.au/ - free remix of the song on there too :D
images: http://www.myspace.com/empireofthesunsound)

Sneaky Sound System - Pictures

2009-02-04T04:19:00.000-08:00

Heya. A bit out of the usual vein of music on this blog, but yeah. Just wanted to recommend a electro/pop/house track by a Sydney based Aussie group called Sneaky Sound System. From their self titled album that came out all the way back in the later half of '06. Pictures. Good as. :) I quite like their other stuff too.

Btw. Still haven't figured out how to embed videos and music to stream, so in the meantime i'll just add a link to it. Here.

This will probably be stuck in your head for the next few days or so. :P

Light, of course,
Like a flicker in my left eye
Push, move,
Could be perfect if you walk by

I've got lots of pictures in my head,
You'd better not turn off the projector ... ooohhh
And I've got lots of pictures in my head,
You'd better not save them all for later

Maybe I, oh get me on fire,
Could take your picture, oh you could get one too
And maybe I, oh get me on fire!
But keep me on, don't switch me off ... ooohhh

You can't fight,
Oh what we do what we
Can't do it solo,
But you've got what tickles for me

I've got lots of pictures in my head,
You'd better not turn off the projector ... ooohhh
And I've got lots of pictures in my head,
You'd better not save them all for later

Maybe I, oh get me on fire,
Could take your picture, oh you could get one too
And maybe I, oh get me on fire,
But keep me on, don't switch me off ...

Maybe I, oh get me on fire,
Could take your picture, oh you could get one too
And maybe I, oh get me on fire,
But keep me on, don't switch me off ...

Keep me on, don't switch me off ...
Keep me on, don't switch me off ...

credits: lyrics from http://www.onlylyrics.com/song.php?id=1004602

[late revival for 2-0-0-9?]

2009-01-20T01:23:00.001-08:00

Hey yo. It's been awhile. Nothing like DJ OZMA to start 2009 eh :D. I've been pretty quiet around here these days. Even though its the end of year break i've been preoccupied with things, so kinda neglected -beats- for quite awhile already. Partially because i'm a bit of a lazy #$%^&*(*&^$% too. But man, 2008 came round and went by fast. Heck, even these holidays are drawing to an end soon. I'm not too sure where this post is going, but thought i'd drop by to say an extremely belated happy new year to everyone checking by as well. So, Happy New Year!

New years resolutions? I'm not really a fan of them, since I have some pretty bad commitment issues. But if people are still reading here, i'll try and be more consistent with -beats-. And less y'kno...random month++ long hiatusses. No guarantees though, XD

As for whatsup lately, earlier this break I went overseas. Picked up some nice cds, so **hopefully** that'll be something to rant about. Hahah, stupid things still have a habit of being attracted to me, although not as bad as inhaling mints. I was using the free internet at the airport since I had a few hours to kill before my flight. The guy using the computer before me for some reason had the font size on super large. So anyways, I click into SB's blog to see whatsup, since he's moved it over to unchained.nu now and the first thing that comes up extra large is "OUR SECOND BLOSSOMING. an emotional paedophile's music blog". The guy next to me took his kids hand and gives me a queer as look. Speaking of SB, shouts to him for the second banner! :) And also to wherever the original image is from. (Sorry eh, can't remember where its from).

Oh yeah, on the sidebar I chucked on a few widgets - from Inoran's new album and the movie Bokuchu - thinking about writing a bit about em in future posts. I probably should have said this earlier, but sometimes the Inoran widget will pop up; there's a small X in the top right hand corner if you want to close it, otherwise it'll just link to the PV of his latest single, Senneka.

OKOK. One last thing. Not sure if its right or not, but since OPV no longer exists I just transferred the two posts I wrote for it into here. Alrighty, off to sleep on my next post. Peace out.

Online Purchasing Days: HandMC - Remember & Luna Sea - Mafuyu no Yagai/Manatsu no Yagai

2008-12-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

I recently got High and Mighty Color's single, Remember and the two Luna Sea concerts off cdjapan. Preordered them around mid September when they were first announced for release. They arrived a few weeks ago in the mail. Was pretty good timing too - shipped on the 11th - the day my exams finished and came like 3 days later (on air mail). Hahah, I probably could have done better with my study plan though, since hearing about these releases completely erased any thoughts of 'exam' or 'read. textbooks.' from my mind. Of course, I should have done a little better in exams in the end, but bah, what's done is done lol. Both of these artists probably deserve their own posts, but yeah. Just a warning eh, brace yourself for one heckuva long (and hopefully interesting) post. I'll try not to ramble on too much XD

Remember. Earlier this year HandMC announced that it was going to be their final single with Mak, as she would be leaving due to her marriage. All good things come to an end at some point, but this one was way, way too soon. They're at pretty much the pinnacle of their career with Rock Pit and Hot Limit which came out not too long ago!! Its a bummer because they were one of the first j-bands that I got into in 2005, so to see their original lineup part broken now is kinda sad. But at the same time its been great to see how they've progressed with each new release they've brought out.

Ohh man. I refused to listen to Remember till the single arrived - didn't even stream it, so i'm way late on the scene. Although i'm too bothered though since it's the limited edition version that was reserved for me. Hahah. With the bumper sticker. Hell yeah. The wait was worth it too, because, well, the single is that good. The first thing I noticed about the title track is it has the same experimental rock feel that got me addicted to them in the beginning with Goover. Maki's vocals are, as always, beautiful and come in strong from the opening - then the rest of the band kicks in - and Yuusuke brings back his machinegun vocals again too. MEG and Kazuto are at their incendiary best, particularly with the dual guitars solo. And it wouldn't be complete without Sassy on drums and Mackaz on his bass. I like the instrumental version as well. It highlights all the smaller things which aren't always obvious, from the background guitar harmonics right through to the strings that underly the vocals.

The b-side, 花ふぶき is a softer ballad. It brings to mind the same relaxing feel as Dreams and Tadoritsuku Basho. I may potentially be killed for what i'm about to say, but yeah, to be honest, it didn't really stand out for me that too that much. Don't get me wrong though, 花ふぶき is a great song in its own right, its just i've never really been much of a fan for ballads. Its nice, slightly melancholic, but in a way uplifting at the same time. Bah, I'm not really sure how to put it. A genuine farewell song. :)

The ＰＲＩＤＥ（ＬＩＶＥ　ＭＩＸ　２００８）. What to say. Pride was their first single, and the one that exploded them into fame as the Gundam opening. The live mix is done so well that if it wasn't for the giveaway in the title, it could probably pass as a studio recorded version. Heck, I would love to see a video of them at this performance. Of course, being a live, the instruments come out a lot more distinctly - you can hear the full crunch of the distortion effect on MEG and Kazuto's guitars. I also love it how the Maki's voice comes out stronger as well. Hearing it, you can really appreciate her talent as a singer. Actually, their talent as a whole band. Hahah, it sounds like Yuusuke really goes nuts in the pre-solo too. I suppose lives usually sound so good because they're not edited to perfection, but its the little unrehearsed improvisations that make it so much better.

Although Maki's leaving the band, its only the end of an era for High and Mighty Color. I'm glad she went out/is leaving with a bang. Ending with such an epic, epic single will definitely leave her in our memories for a long time to come. Most other HandMC fans have probably heard this all already, but if by chance you haven't, damn, you're missing out (here's a stream link :D). All the best to Maki and hoping she revives her career in the future! And can't wait to see if the new singer lives up to the benchmark she set. :D

Luna Sea. Hahah, what to say about them. Way too much to cram into one post. I think its safe to say that Luna Sea are another of my most favorite bands. Anyways, when SB linked me the Remember single, I was browsing around other stuff and this caught my eye:

"Limited-time, priced-down reissue available only until December 29, 2008."
(If you're intending on getting them, do it soon!!!)

This was the description of cdjapan for Mafuyu no Yagai and Manatsu no Yagai, which were re-released in specially limited 'priced down DVD editions. Normally their stuff is hella expensive - their 2007 One Night Dejavu concert (which i'm still figuring out how to fund) at 8500 yen - roughly USD$90.46. Like the sticker says, "GET HAPPY!". HEECK YEAH. Happy is a chronic understatement. If my memory doesn't fail me, they were about USD$15.00 at the time. :D Although the price tag didn't look so pretty after adding all the shipping costs. But for sure, it is something to go nuts over. Hahah, now with the recent dollar crash in my part of the world, they've probably tripled in price.

Mafuyu no Yagai and Manatsu no Yagai are two of Luna Sea's legendary concerts from their 1996 Unending Style and 1998 Revival tours respectively. They're both filmed at the Yokohama Bowl, so I guess they kinda make up a set. Which i'm now the proud owner of. Bahahah. I've been pumping these two concerts in the living room tv almost every day since they arrived. Although had to cool off more recently because parents are starting to get monumentally irritated. XD
Yeah, I guess what i'm trying to say is that as a band Luna Sea have really great dynamics. Until now, barring what's available on youtube, i've mainly only listened to their Period: the best selection album. But man was I blown away. They put on a really good show. There aren't any 'filler tracks' in their performances so to speak, like I find with some other concerts I've watched (no names here). And whoa, Ryuichi is an amazing singer, both in studio and performing live. You can really hear the charisma in his vocals, and the Sugizo-Inoran pair on lead and rhythm guitar is always riveting, especially when they do I For You and Breathe.

Hmm, if I had to pick out my favorites, on the '96 concert, I would have to say its definitely between Hurt and In Silence which were the standout tracks for me. Hurt is a heavier track from their album Style with a slight punkish edge with an addictive guitar riffs and chorus. I especially like ;In Silence; too - J's bass comes through nicely in it, particularly in the bridge. In the '98 concert, Storm and Shine. Enough said.

One of the coolest parts was also Shinya's drum solo in the 1996 concert, which is damn notable. Hahah, it's a bit gimmicky I guess. But he plays in a rotating drum kit suspended in the air with thousands of fans screaming his name. So cool. Check it out (It wasn't me that uploaded it btw), although the quality's not that great its still cool to watch all the same.

I think there must have been a pretty good job of remastering done too, because even though the concerts were filmed over what, 10 years ago? they still look great. You can tell the '96 concert was quite awhile ago at times, especially since HD's come out lol, but its nothing too major. And the sound quality. Is brilliant :D

Damn the screencaps took ages to do (I kinda suck at making them) Actually, it probably took longer choosing which ones to cut out lol. So hope you all enjoy! :) Heck, I got a bit triggerhappy doing them.

All in all, these two make up some very memorable awesomeness on disc. They run for over 2 hours, with about 22 tracks on each. Man, am I starting to sound like a salesman or what....
Anyways, to sum it up, I would definitely recommend them to anyone into Luna Sea! Definitely would not regret getting them.

Sugizo is always so photogenically cool.

From the intro to Moon ('96 concert). It's really nice how they did the lighting in this one.

Shinya during his drum solo ('96 concert). Damn cool. He's playing while 90 degrees.

Credits and thanks go to SB for all of this yet again. From the initial "HOLY $%^&* LTD EDIT. OF HandMC'S REMEMBER OUT!!" to the "You're going to have to pay me back at some point, dammit, you lazy $%^&*&" and the "Okay okay i'll chuck in the Luna Sea's as well". Love the subtle message on the gift card too. XD

ENDINGS, RETROSPECTS & NEW BEGINNINGS.

2008-09-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

This should have been posted waaaay sooner. Anyways, here goes. AAAAAALRIGHT!! DO AS INFINITY to reunite on the 29th of September! Gotta be the best news of the year! Exactly three years after their official breakup in '05. Now this is something worth partying like it's 1999 for. This was the band that started it all. Their timing was brilliant, since I've been starting to go back through my j-music roots these past few days. Oh yeah, they're coming back with a concert - Do As Infinity FREE LIVE - FREE SOUL! FREE SPIRITS! - on the 30th, later this month. I would so love to skip uni to see them live if I had the balls to skip uni right before exams, and the funds to haul my ass over. One of these days though. XD

I think it was channelsurfing in a hotel room during one of the school holidays that I accidentally switched onto one of those popstation shows. Tomiko Van and Ryo Owatari were just coming out to promote their single, For the Future and play it live. After that, I found out that I already had Yesterday & Today on a compilation disc, but just never listened to it before. Man did I miss out. I'm not sure how to put into words why I like them so much, but yeah. I just heard them and was just like, whoa. And got into them like that. Nothing's changed. It's kinda funny thinking back about it now, because these were the events that started a long time infatuation with this band and this entire j-music obsession for me. And then came the good part of two years of whoring for all of their cd's, dvd's and memorabilia. I must have pissed off quite a few friends and cousins bugging them to hunt down stuff for me. XD I owe SB quite a bit too, since he was the one that got about half of their albums for me when he went back. Plus all the news about them, songs, singles, everything. Cheers man. Good times.

Hahah, it's probably stupid and cheesy to get so attached to a jpop/rock band. But I suppose the language barrier is one of those things that are irrelevant when it comes to good music eh. Probably the only song of theirs I can't stand on most days though is Ainouta. That damned violin tune! ...makes it too happy.... lol.

I remember after they broke up, SB and I heard some idiot rumor that they would be releasing a final, final acoustic album of their songs after the last single TAO and the plethora of compilation albums. But the catch was that it was only available to fan club members. Damn. And we believed that too. We almost paid what, $30.00 US to join their fan club, AFTER Do As Infinity had broken up. Whatever b^&*(rd that posted that was a real fag lol. But yeah, when DAI went their separate ways it just wasn't the same eh. I bought Tomiko's Farewell album as soon as it came out. It was okay eh. You could say that she progressed to a more 'mature' style in it, that didn't really appeal to my tastes. Hahah, probably because there weren't any guitars come to think of it. Ryo went on to start up Missile Innovation. They followed on with a slightly more rockish sound and had some pretty decent stuff going on as well. I especially liked their punked up cover of Manic Monday by The Bangles and the funkier Odoro Yo Honey, which was their first single. Was some pretty cool stuff. I'm still not too sure what happened to them eh, but they seemed to have gone MIA after that first mini album. Amasia Landscape; I only vaguely recall SB saying they sounded like Japanese gospel music. And then I never heard anything more after that lol. I wonder if they're still around...?

Oh yeah, their site's been completely redone now. Check it, there's details about that free concert on there (DO AS INFINITY OFFICIAL WEBSITE). They've also pulled a new band together for the lives and stuff. It's a bit of a pity that most of the old Great Tour Band aren't coming back, because they genuinely looked like they had a good time together. The other half of me is thinking the new lineup looks damned cool as well lol. Also, there's no mention on there at all of their composer, Nagao Dai, so I wonder if he's coming back too? Although he's always been the guy that does his thing from the background. It would probably help if I could read Japanese lol. Whatever it is, we'll see what happens when the time comes eh. Man, I really can't wait to see what new stuff they're going to pull out next. :D

As I come to the end of this post, it's currently 5 days after I started this post and nearing 12am. The tablespace next to me is stacked with my collection of DAI cd's which have been through some chronic re-loving after some semi-neglect this while. Im hoping that the bucket of yoghurt - a week past its 'best before' date - which I ate while coming up for inspiration for this post isn't going to have any significant effects on me later on. Damn it's hard deciding on what pics to use for this post. Gah stuff it. Enjoy them all. New album planned for release (their) next spring. That's one album i'm definitely planning on getting.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Credits to SB again for this (and for putting up news of DAI's reunion on his msn name too). A-NATION '08 LIVE IS UP ON THEIR SITE. AND IT SOUNDS SO DAMN GOOOOOOOOOOD. Just like when we got into them. Hahah, like SB, I totally feel like i'm 16 again.

2008-08-26T04:20:00.000-07:00

OOOOKAAAYY!!! New banner on here now, thanks to SB who did it for me just now over msn. Heheh. Now I guess I don't have much excuse to be on this non-posting rut eh. :D (Yes. I know i've said this waaay too many times in the past and haven't done anything about it). Bahahah. I'll be bug him a lot more in the future to make more banners for me, since i'm technologically deficit and it took awhile to figure out how imageshack worked so I could get this up, so I shudder to think what would happen if I tried making it myself.

The banner is of the brilliant green; for those of you who don't know, a great great band that everybody should listen to at least once. Well, I thnk so anyways. :D Taken from their 'angel song' era I think. Been listening to a few of their songs again, so maybe more on them in the upcoming week (or two)? In the meantime, i'm gonna get some well-needed rest so I get back in the writing mode. Of course, after that damned accounting assignment that's due tomorrow morning lol.

2008-08-14T05:10:00.000-07:00

Yeahhh, something to keep this place with some semblance of still being alive. Ahahah, I'm supposed to be doing my management essay at the moment, but it's 12am and what little interest I had in it to begin with is quickly beginning to fade.
Somehow I ended up on ultimate-guitar.com and I just remembered about this column post from there, "15 Reasons Why Guitars Are Better Than Girlfriends". Man I have too much free time.
Some feminists may want to kill me after this post. Thankfully, I think im still another annonymous entity online lol. I hope. It's pretty funny though. Whoever wrote it is a genius (unfortuantely I can't take credit for that though, lol).

P.S. Sorry SB, this wasn't that post I was talking about.

2008-07-27T02:21:00.000-07:00

I've just started back up with the second half of the Uni year with my first week back ending already, man the holidays went fast. -beats- has been a little neglected lately 'cause to be honest, haven't really thought up anything worth blogging about. Needa get off my ass and contribute more to OPV too like I promised wu when he first let me join it. I think I can safely say that i've been hit with a chronic issue of writer's block though...losing my mojo... Gotta re-find my voice again. I think I need another subject like stats where I can drift in my lecs and come up and save ideas for posts on my phone. :/ [Hey SB, if you're reading this, the next post you see from me will be literary sex! For real this time! Well, I hope so anyways.]

Other than that, been trying to pawn off all of my textbooks from semester 1. I realized they turned out to be pretty useless in the end, because I never ended up reading 'em, although they burned a huge hole in my pocket. It turns out that this sem's books which I didn't buy are the important ones. Daaang...I knew I should have got that Wii i've been saving up for instead.

My new classes are a friggin' pain to find. I was looking for my accounting room, and I walk into this building which i'm sure was one of the commerce blocks, but all I see for the next 5 minutes is "Philosophy 101" and "Sociology 231". Eventually I asked someone where my room was and they're like, "...err...this is the arts building...". It turns out I was on the wrong end of the campus. XD Gah...this is starting to sound too much like a fanfic about myelf already, so i'm going to end my rant here for now. Eyes starting to K.O. on me already too from staring at the PC screen all morning.

The weather in the part of the world i'm in's taken a turn for the worse these past few days. I suppose the fact it's winter doesn't really help too much either. It's one of those times where it'd be cool as to know how to windsurf. :D

Perfume - Love the World

2008-07-25T20:43:00.000-07:00

Perfume keep on going with Love the World! It's their most recent single out since Secret Secret. I probably should have mentioned something about this single a lot earlier because it's that great and worth mentioning, but yeah, i've been procrastinating everything under the sun these days, including getting more credit on my phone (for the record, this post has been about 3 weeks in delay lol).

They haven't really added anything new to the formula. It's just another distinctly brilliant single, with Kashiyuka, A-Chan and Nocchi doing their thing and making waves in the charts again. The PV is in black and white, which is a change from their other ones, but the simplicity makes it all the more better. Kashiyuka dominates my attention throughout the entirety of it, although she has a scary as look in some parts.

4mins 35 of techno pop heaven in this single. There isn't too much else to say, except, LISTEN TO IT! (just because it's Perfume). :)

Here's a link to stream it on imeem.

Bikkuri Project Blog Survey

2008-07-08T05:24:00.000-07:00

Man, I really had to dust of my brain a bit for this one lol. This was the survey from the Bikkuri Project blog.

1. You have found a magical J-pop genie who will grant you one J-pop related wish (so no wishing for a million dollars or world peace or anything like that). It can be virtually anything as long as it’s directly related to J-pop, and don’t worry, because this is the nice sort of genie, not the kind who will try to find a loop-hole and screw up your wish. So, what do you wish for???

Luna Sea to reform and keep on doing what they do best! :D

2. Is there any J-pop artist or group who seriously pisses you off? If yes, who, and why?

Maybe Kat-tun, because they went #1 everywhere at one point a few years back, and that song Real Face#1 got stuck in my head, so I decided to get their album over Ketsumeishi's Ketsu no Police 4 to see what's so great about them. I later found out that they're a bit too pop for my tastes. Gah. :/

3. Who do you think is the sexiest japanese singer out there?

Tomiko Van (Do As Infinity / Solo Artist)

4. How about the cutest?

Kashiyuka (Perfume)

5. Best personality?

Maki (HandMC)

6. If given the opportunity, would you rather date person 3, person 4, or person 5?

ALL OF THEM. I'll keep my fantasies to myself for now. (Jk's only).

7. You work for a Japanese music magazine, and you have the opportunity to interview your favorite artist or group. What are a couple of the questions you want to ask them?

Actutally, I wouldn't have the slightest clue. Probably just "can I have your photo+autograph?". And then probably get kicked out in the end by their security lol.

8. What’s the best (J-pop) song to listen to when you are really sad?

Luna Sea - Gravity

9. When you’re really happy?

The Love Bug - M-flo loves BoA

10. Do you often sing along to your favorite songs?

Nah, lol. My voice is horrible. XD

11. How about dance?

Does air guitar count?

12. Artistic integrity question!! If someone offered to pay you for blogging, but they were allowed to censor some of your opinions or veto some of your blogging ideas, would you do it?

Hmm...money talks, anytime. Like most other people I just blog for fun though, and it's something to do I suppose. But yeah, I think it'd kill the fun in it if your ideas and opinions were censored too much, would probably just end up more of an advertising campaign and too monotone than anything if that happened eh. At the end of the day, if it wass a reasonable amount, like...enough to get a CD or two... I would eventually oblige...hahah..i'm such a sellout.

[OPV]Alice Nine - Rainbows

2008-07-06T00:35:00.000-07:00

New single by Alice Nine to be released on the 6th of August, the above pic says it all. My second review/ post thing on OPV! This is one song you don't wanna miss hearing. Check it out from the link on my sidebar thing! :D

Also, alice in pictures is looking very, very nice - their 2-part PV collection which was recently released.

[OPV Post 2]Alice Nine - Rainbows

2008-07-04T03:52:00.000-07:00

Rainbows. Very nice single from Alice Nine. If you're into their music, then this is something to go nuts about. It's the newest single after Mirrorball, to be released in three versions on August 6. There's the Limited Edition version type A with the CD single and 40 page booklet, type B which comes with CD single + DVD with the PV, and finally just the normal edition of the single itself, but with a third bonus track. Maybe it's the prelude to a new album? Can't hardly wait. :D

I just heard Rainbows last night and i'm loving it already. Need to find some way of getting my hands on it lol. They touch on a bit of a heavier side with the guitars in this one. Tora opens it playing a riff that reminds me of Yami Ni Chiru Sakura, with a bit of Velvet somewhere in there. It's a pretty standard Alice Nine song with another good as chorus to get stuck in your head as well. Shou's falsetto at about 3 mins. 50 into the track is damn noteworthy. Hiroto goes wild on the solo near the end. That is one damn cool solo.

The way they did the PV looks pretty smooth too, it's set inside a room that looks a bit like a cross between a disco floor and a gym, with the floor treadmills/ horizontal escalators on the side. I thought it's cool how they blend in a bit of fast forwarding/ rewinding with all the cuts, which has a pretty unique effect on the look and the feel of the vid.

Also, 'alice in pictures' I and II was recently released a couple of days ago as well, which are DVD compilations of their PV's from Gin no Tsuki Kuroi Hoshi to Gekkoyoku. Alice Nine always make some pretty nice PV's to complement their songs, so this is something worth checking out.

2008-06-30T04:20:00.000-07:00

[Skid Row]

This is gonna be a pretty random addition to my j-music oriented blog, but yeah.

I don't usually keep up with a lot of the old music I used to listen to these days, but I happened to see this on a news feed somewhere, can't remember where though. XD I suppose I'll include some stuff on the other music on this blog that I listen to as well, when something good comes up.

Anyways, Ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach got asked by Slash to work on a top-secret project. Bach's not replacing Scott Weiland for Velvet Revolver though. Sounds pretty badass.

Skid Row's one of my favourite bands. If you ever get the chance, their '40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row album is worth checking out. Good as stuff. Only thing is it's too bad that 'In A Darkened Room' wasn't included on the album.

Check out the links.

Slash and Sebastian Bach working on 'top-secret' project

http://www.nme.com/news/slash/37643

Bach: No Velvet Revolver, May Work With Slash

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003820504

Axl Rose's "Chinese Democracy" Tirade: Sebastian Bach Tells All http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/06/23/axl-roses-chinese-democracy-tirade-sebastian-bach-tells-all/

[OPV] Aira Mitsuki - Colorful Tokyo Sounds no9 / China Discotica

2008-06-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

I donno if this is right or not, but anyways, here's a link to my first post on OPV on a couple of Aira Mitsuki songs that I've been listening to lately - Colorful Tokyo Sounds no.9 and China Discotica - here. (gahah...finally figured out how to link sites properly) :D

My main motive for adding this was just an excuse to post another album cover pic up there. >_>

J-Music Survey from the Cutie Party Blog

2008-06-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit late again as usual, but everyone else was doing a J-Music survey by Misa from the Cutie Party blog, so I decided to go with the flow and do one too.

1. What was the first Japanese song that you ever listened to?

I can't remember which one, but it was either Do As Infinity - Yesterday and Today, or For the Future

2. Did it inspire you to like that group/singer, or did it turn you away?

Hahah, heeeeeck yeah! It got me absolutely addicted to the j-scene, and then it got SB even more obsessed, and I think the rest is probably history. I ended up on here. It's sad that they broke up way too soon after I got into them, but that still didn't stop me from going through a huge DAI phase. Good times. :D

3. What is the one song that you have been listening to for the longest time?

Luna Sea - Gravity

4. What group/singer have you liked the longest?

Probably the group that got me into j-music - Do As Infinity - although I don't listen to them so much these days.

5. What is the song with the most plays on your itunes/media player?

Road Movie - Asian Kung Fu Generation

6. Is that song your favorite?

Nah, but it's quite good

7. If not, what is?

Hmm..like below...gah...still can't decide... but my favourite song of '08 so far is probably Secret, Secret, by Perfume. Or L'Arc~en~Ciel's My Heart Draws A Dream.

8. Is there any one group that you can listen to all/most of the songs by? If so, who?

One group only eh? Do As Infinity then. I can listen to their songs all day, any day. Except maybe ainouta...that song's waaayy too happy for me...and that violin tune starts to...well, you'll see if you listen to it...

9. What is your favorite agency?

I've never really followed agencies, but avex seems to come to mind. Oh, or maybe Ki/oon records because I know L'Arc are on there. Does that count?

10. What is your favorite group/singer?

Atch...I hate questions like this...can never decide on just one...
Okay, out of the j-music I like, this will take awhile but narrowing the list down to:

L'Arc~en~Ciel
Do As Infinity
High and Mighty Color
Luna Sea
Ketsumeishi
m-flo

and more recently,
Alice Nine and Perfume

Whoa, so that's my one done! I'm glad it wasn't for the non-jmusic stuff or damn that could have taken awhile lol...

2008-06-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, I'm finally back again from another one of my hiatusses. Checked my sitemeter thing just now. It's pretty cool to see that i've finally hit the 1000+ views mark to boot :D

Well, not much else's really happened lately. Oh yeah, congrats to SB on joining the intlwota crew! Check his name/blog re-listed in the right hand VIP section here (http://www.intlwota.com/).

My ipod k.o'ed on me just before my exams started, so I suppose that was both a good and bad thing. I couldn't be bothered leaving my room to go plug it into the PC to charge, so it was out of comission for awhile. But yeah, in my spare time in between all the study found myself running the old albums and mix-cd's through my trusty discman...hahah, so much for getting much done in the end. XD Quite worried about how I did, but it can't be helped, everyone else's probably like that too. I just hope the markers think what I wrote in there was friggin incendiary and give me good as grades for it :D

Okaaay! That's that. I'll try to stop sounding like a moron for now and yeah, bring in yet another long overdue j-post!

[OPV1] Aira Mitsuki - Colorful Tokyo Sounds no9 / China Discotia

2008-06-25T02:19:00.000-07:00

Aira Mitsuki is one of those artists that I found browsing through imeem. She seems to be pretty new to the scene with just 3 singles listed on the discography of her site and a first album - Copy - set for release on September 03 this year. Her sound takes a similar kind of style as Perfume. Actually, when I first heard her music, I thought she was produced by Yasutaka Nakata too, but according to wiki.theppn, it's another producer called Oonishi Terukado. The main thing I noticed about her music is that it's a lot less dynamic though, plainer and more 'robotic', so to speak. That could probably be both a good and bad thing, but at the end of the day I suppose it just comes down to personal preference. All the same, China Discotica and Tokyo Sounds no.9 are two songs worth trying out.

China Discotica

This song's got some spunk with a beat. It's Aira Mitsuki's second single, after Colorful Tokyo Sounds no.9. I like it how they digitize her voice so it becomes part of the backing music. Err, not much else to say here, really. The keyboard synth that comes through the digitized sounds is always good to hear, it seems to be the driving thing behind this track, and coupled with Aira Mitsuki's voice, it starts to grow on you after a few plays.

Colorful Tokyo Sounds no.9

Out of the two, Colorful Tokyo Sounds no.9 is my favorite, but just by a bit. Come to think of it, it's a pretty simple song, mainly revolving around a repeated chorus, but in a kind of catchy way that won't get on your nerves too soon. Again, the backing music is some pretty nice techno pop-ish stuff that blends well with her voice. The PV is pretty out there, watching it is kinda like flipping through the pages of a scrapbook lol.

While Aira Mitsuki isn't as revolutionary as Perfume (not much comes close), her music is still something interesting to listen to while reading and stuff. These two were pretty decent singles I thought, but the other songs of hers that I heard didn't really catch on though. It's not really memorable enough to stick in your head and hum on the bus like Secret Secret, but they're not bad. I'll be watching this space, because I think there's probably some more good stuff to come. :)

2008-06-03T00:52:00.000-07:00

Hmm... unfortunately this is announcing another mini-hiatus, but i've got a proper excuse this time as i've got my first set of real exams coming up. It's a pain in the ass, but at least i'll be looking forward to the hols afterwards. Freedom! No more early mornings. No more of the running to the bus stop because I slept in too late and the endless bus crawl for an hour plus every day. No more drifting through the hours semi-conscious without breakfast because I was listening to m-flo until late the previous night, when I really should have been revising (a bit).

This time i'll get serious and study properly, instead of my last tactic of 'listen to L's themes and hope some of his IQ transfers over' for my mid-sem test. Got raped that time....as far as metaphors go anyways, but this time its hopefully not gonna be another repeat.

I'll still be listening to plenty of music in between, of course, or i'll likely get withdrawal symptoms, with some intlwota podcasts to keep me up to date on the j-scene. But anyways, I should be back some time aroundabout the 20th! Hopefully.

Until then, seeya round eh!

High and Mighty Color - Hot Limit

2008-06-03T00:47:00.000-07:00

HOT LIMIT! HandMC's version of the T.M. Revolution song that came out a few days ago! I'm not going to go into too much detail about this one, because in all honesty, Pengie from unchained (http://unchained.nu/blog/) has already said it way better than I could, but yeah, in my own few words, another nice, nice cover.

I like it how they stayed true to the original, right down to the PV, but like on Rosier, added their own signature touch on it. Maki looks, as the name of the song suggests, HOOOOOOT as. Okay, damn damn pretty. **drools** Excuse another bad pun...

I'm really glad that it wasn't Yuusuke dancing on the star though. :D

This is probably going to sound a bit strange coming from me, but mACKAz's new hairstyle looks pretty badass in it. No homo. Couldn't find any good quality cover pics, so I just used the one above for now, will change it later if a better one comes out. Oh, they updated the site design/layout for this release too. Check it out.

http://handmc.jp/pc/index.html

Damn, if I was a girl, I'd love to be able to dance like Maki.

It would be quite awkward if HandMC ever read this post. >_>

2008-05-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

What the....first ELLENGARDEN go on an indefinite hiatus, then it's bye bye to RHCP, now speculation that L'Arc~en~Ciel are gonna be out of the scene too?!

And to think they only just came back, and are touring for the KISS album.

http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-3234

Far out. Not good maan...what the heck is happening to the music industry...but who knows L'Arc will really do, eh.

Whatever it is, i'll be waiting for the next album :D

And the 2011 reunion!

Sonic the Hedgehog Vocal Traxx: Several Wills / Magna-Fi - All Hail Shadow

2008-05-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a continuation of that last 'Game Sound Best' post I did awhile earlier, because I forgot to include some of these other songs last time. Actually, I think i'll scrap doing a top 5 and just include game music into my usual reviews/posts, because I realized I couldn't decide on my top 5. It took me this long to realize that there's waaaayy too much stuff that I like. :D

Sonic Team seems to have a string of brilliant but less well known (at least in the part of the world that i'm in) hard-rock artists under them to do music for their newer games. Crush 40. Magna-Fi. Zebrahead. Honestly, these guys should be dominating the charts instead of all that superficial emo-rubbish that gets aired 24-7 on constant rotation. It's amazing how cool some game music can get. As you can probably already tell by now, I'm a bit of a Sonic fan. At one time it got to the point where I dreamed I was Sonic drowning in the Chemical Plant Zone... anyways, here goes my opinions on a majority of the Sonic the Hedgehog Vocal Traxx: Several Wills soundtrack. I'm quite glad no one here knows me in real life.

HIS WORLD - Ali Tabatabaee & Matty Lewis from Zebrahead

This was the theme song from the newest game in the series on PS3. Unfortunately, I don't have one, so I haven't played it. Yet. But anyways, the music from Sonic games always seems to pique my curiosity, so I checked it out. This song was by Ali Tabatabaee & Matty Lewis, the vocalist and guitarist of the band Zebrahead. Apparently it was the universally hated song used as Sonic's theme. I originally conformed to this opinion, but then the strings hooked me, and then the layered chorus got quite infectious, so now its on my list of songs that i've been listening to lately. It's quite a good amp-up song.

In retrospect, I think it was because of the rapping that I prejudiced it and off-ed it (because I don't usually give rap, or anything closely related too much of a chance, lol). Actually, some tasteful rap in music can be darn mean though, like LINKIN PARK, and this does it pretty nicely.

There's another version done with the whole band, Zebrahead. It substitutes the strings for a more traditional alt-approach, and has an all-round faster feel to it. This one's possibly an even better amp-up song.

DREAMS OF AN ABSOLUTION (LB vs JS Remix) - LB (Remix Factory) & Jun Senoue

Track 06 on the album! This song has some really smooth synth. It's kind of relaxing, but pretty rock on at the same time, so the genre it falls under is quite ambiguous.

The vox might not mesh to everyone's tastes, but personally I quite liked it. Probably because i've been listening to eurobeat music way too much for my own good this past month. But after 67-and-counting plays on my itunes over the past couple of days, it's still going strong. I think the only other record to top this number of plays was when I got into that Gorillaz song, Feel Good Inc, a few years ago. I had that one playing during all of my waking hours for like, 3 days straight, but then the disc started skipping on me so I was forced to put it to rest...Needless to say, this is my favourite song on the album. :D

Makes you kinda wish they'd do a concert, but then you'd probably be torn between headbanging, air-guitaring and wanting to party. Total schizophreina. Sort of.

The original version of the song by just LB is pretty much the same, but without JS's incendiary guitar lines, so it's very, very soft. Pretty nice, maybe not something I could listen to as extensively as the remix, though. XD

Manga-Fi - All Hail Shadow

Actually, I just remembered about this song after hearing the above, so decided to include it in here too. It was off the earlier Shadow the Hedgehog game. Honestly, a person could listen to this song on the radio and think it was the most badass thing you'd have heard in the past half a decade, until they realize that it's the theme song to a video game. And then they'd probably still listen to it afterwards too.

I quite like it how the vocals can grab your attention without having to resort to screaming. The dual guitars hit you fast and hard too, especially before and during the verses. By far, something i'd recommend everyone listen to, at least once.

This is one band that I should really go check out more of, but have never gotten round to doing.

I personally prefer Magna-Fi's version to the song, but Crush 40 have some pretty nice rhythms going on in their cover.

---

Oh, and for all those Mario fans... :P

check this out. Zack Kim. Pretty amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZpD0btOZx8

2008-05-24T03:56:00.000-07:00

OHHH HECK. I just put my next post on hold because I found this out. The Red Hot Chili Peppers have disbanded/ are on hiatus, whatever you want to call it. I'd like to think it was just a break.

Check this out if you don't believe me. I didn't believe it myself when SB told me just now. I thought it was a sick, sick joke. T_T

http://www.nme.com/news/red-hot-chili-peppers/36802

It's quite a bummer, but I'm sure they'll come out with something again in a few years time. There was quite a big gap between By The Way ( <---my favourite album of theirs) and Stadium Arcadium, come to think of it.

When I saw the Live At Slane concert on DVD back in November '03 I was instantly converted to a fan. A bit slow on the uptake, I know. I'd heard them before, and liked their stuff, but when I saw them play Don't Forget Me live, that was just it. So cool. That concert is definitely worth checking out. 200% awesomeness on a disc. Every song they do on there is a stand-out track in its own right.

Anyways, they're the Chilis, they can do whatever they like I suppose, lol.

L'Arc~en~Ciel - KISS

2008-05-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

I was at a loss on what to write this week, but then I remembered about this. L'Arc~en~Ciel are one of my favourite bands of all time, so when I heard they were finally releasing another cd after Awake came out aaaall the way back in '05 I went pretty nuts. It was kind of like a birthday present not on my birthday, if y'know what I mean. Even though their KISS album has been out for awhile now, I only just recently heard the whole thing properly, from track 1 to track 12, about last week I think. (Honestly...what rock have I been living under...)

Well, after hearing it, I have just one thing to say. It's freakin' brilliant. Despite what all those hating posts aroundandabout say. I'm not gonna go into a b(*&$-session here on that though. To put a bit of a twist on SB's trademark description of good music, KISS is earsex for the generations. Their sound has progressed further, but it's still distinctly the same L'Arc we all know and love. From the slightly eccentric opening track, Seventh Heaven, right through to last December's jazzy single Hurry X-mas. It's all love.

I've got to say, I would never have expected L'Arc to have done a song like Hurry X-mas. When I first saw the PV to it I was like, hey, this is...unbelievably, weirdly catchy in a good way. It's so different to anything they've done before, but then again I suppose they've always had a few different songs in the mix of their albums, like 'Ophelia' from the Awake album. Keeps things interesting. I didn't even expect it to be on the album either, I thought it was something they pulled out 'specially for the occasion, but it fits in as a cheery closer.

Seventh Heaven is also another very different song. THAT INTRO MOTIF! Is quite out there. The first time I played it, I was like, Huh!? Maybe I was a bit stunned from the PV. But it's another one of those songs that grows on you after the second play. Need to let it all digest before you can fully appreciate the angle they're coming at, I guess. Then, once it does, it's really, really addictive.

Spiral - Now this song should have been a single. I think that's all I have to say on that, really.

ALONE EN VIDA - Another song that probably should have been made a single. Love the chorus. Actually, the whole thing sounds like one long, great catchy chorus to me. Tells you how musically literate I am, eh. You can feel a bit of a melancholy vibe from the song that carries through even in Ken's solo. It sounds really cool with the strings going on in the background, and the mix of acoustic guitar running throughout too.

I feel a bit of a duty to mention Daybreak's Bell and Link somewhere as well. Definitely reccommended to listen to, as well as the whole album, for that matter. I heard these two around when they were first released as singles, compliments of Youtube, but the novelty still hasn't worn off. Heheh.

I quite like all the songs on the album, but for me, the standout track was 'My Heart Draws A Dream'. Straight off, from the first time I heard it. Which was, well, only last week lol. But I just can't get it out of my head. If I had to compare it to another L'Arc song, for me it'd probably be the sequel to Snow Drop. Everything in it blends into just..the PV, the song... i'm kind of not really sure what to say. Just listen to it. Like I said earlier, earsex for the generations. With soul. It'll leave you humming, "My heaaaaart draws a dream, la la la...", well, something along those lines while trying to reach those notes Hyde does, without your voice breaking. Yukihiro's entrance into the song with the drums is great too. I've got nothing but praise for Ken's guitarring, as always. And of course, where would they be without Tetsu's bass. The whole universal peace/unity theme going on in the PV is pretty cool too, with the smooth transitions between the band and all over the world. I like it how they've kept that whole idea up from the Awake era (were they doing it previously too? dunno eh...). Even the whale and the buffalos in the middle of the clip add to the feel of it. It's kinda strange how My Heart Draws A Dream ended up as the Subaru Ad song.

I've also gotta add, KISS would probably win best album cover of the year, if there was an award for that.

2008-05-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, my posts have begun to start waning in frequency again...But new and should-be cool j-post should be done by this weekend! I hope. But in the meantime, another filler-ish episode about the chronicles of my life.

Not too much happening lately, a bit busier, a bit slacker again these past few days. It's been like my 'Golden Week' of due dates this week, so to speak. Pulling late nighters to get that assignment done the night before already, and I'm only first year too. Daaang. Nonetheless, good times at the U, despite all the work, which, despite being work, is always an excuse to complain about. The other day a group of us went to Mcdonalds for breakfast after finding out our econ test marks. We got out at like 10.20, ran halfway across the Uni, somehow ending up with a few more people in the posse'. Arrived just before 10.30 to get bacon and egg mcmuffin burgersx2. With discount vouchers. Gahahah. Then we were just starting to head back when we saw the long walk back and decided we'd go catch an early lunch. **Pulls out the vouchers again**. Really gotta save as much coinage as possible though, all my pocket change seems to be going towards bus rides... After that, we just got too lazy to go line up again for soft serve cones. The woman at the counter probably would have started getting annoyed by then too. Ohh man. Could really feel the fat running through our veins going back. Good times though. XD

Come to think of it, I haven't eaten any burger-junk food for about 2 years since I got some pretty mild food poisoning after eating at this dodgy shop down south. Maybe that's why I've beeng going nuts over the Mcdonalds lately lol...turning into a bit of a fatass now...but that could just be the guilty factor running through my mind. I suppose I should make the most use of my super metabolism while I still have it though. To quote something a great man once said, "I'm on a seefood diet. I see food and I eat it." That sounds so much better said verbally. But yeah, I'll start getting really worried only when the man boobies begin to come. >_>

Earlier today the bus let me off a bit of a distance from my place, so I decided to jog the rest of the way, since I haven't had much exercise since P.E. stopped being compulsory. Yeop. That's about it, really.

Oh, and a message to my dear "wife" who seems to be quite scary. See! I did mention you!

2008-05-04T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hmm...listening to L's themes while studying make me feel smart...
Hope somehow his intelligence rubs off onto me for my test tomorrow!

Online purchasing days - HandMC - Days / Pride + BLEACH OST Vol.1

2008-05-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

Finally got to do a long overdue j-music related post!

Haven't been posting much lately, which is a bummer :/ Been tied up with a lot of uni stuff lately, all the friggin tests and stuff. I'm really supposed to be doing some of my assignments / study / etc, but heck, I figured that the work is just gonna keep on coming, and it's more interesting blogging online and complaining about it. So might as well, y'know, de-prioritise it for now...probably until the night before the due date.

But just gotta say, HECK YEAAAAH! All my cd's arrived this week!

I got the High and Mighty Color - Days and Pride singles online on auction. It feels so good when they arrive in the mail. Original Japan Edition. They were second hand though, apparently ex-rental singles, but still came in pretty nice condition. The covers look so cool. MEG still had his dreads.

Anyways, I listened to the singles again, because I haven't heard the Goover stuff in awhile. Still love the songs as much as when I first heard em. To be honest, their Goover days were my favourite. Nothing against the newer albums - they're good in their own way, but Goover was more experimental, which makes it so unique. Pride is one of those songs you can listen to anytime, any place, any day. Days is a bit slower, slightly ballad-like but it's a mean slower song with loads of variations in the music to keep you there. Something to listen to on a sunny day. But at the end of the day I probably had more fun with the bubblewrap they came in. (Joking only...). >_> Hmm, I think I should do a proper review on Goover sometime soon after hearing these two again after so long eh!

Gotta credit SB again for telling me about it. At like, 3am in the morning, about 8 hours before the auctions closed! That guy...honestly, knows everything going on music-related. Never ceases to amaze me.

I also got the Bleach OST 1, although that took slightly longer to arrive in the mail because I bought it from a different seller. Yay, now I can listen to Number One by Hazel Fernandez in full 1000+kb orgasmic cd quality. The rest of the tracks are pretty cool too - let you rehear the soul society arc. My favourites out of the instrumentals are the acoustic 'going home' track, which is pretty relaxing, and 'never meant to belong', the slightly sad, slightly haunting track which gets played whenever something tragic occurs. I quite like the strings in it, which is surprising becuase I normally find violins (correct me if i'm wrong here) to be too squeaky for my tastes.

Oh, I also found out that the hollow track 'nothing can be explained' has vocals to it. It's a pretty strange track though, but you can hear all the little details so much better on cd.

Online purchasing days... I'm addicted now. Kinda wondering why the heck I didn't get into it sooner at the same time. :D

Another thing added to my list of procrastinating activities, among Youtube, msn messenger and blogging...

In my list of stuff to get eventually: the Bleach Rock Musical! And numerous concerts. Ohhh the concerts. So gonna break the bank.

Game Sound Best (Part 1)

2008-05-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

May already! The year '08 is blowing by way too fast.

I decided to write about another one of my favourite sources of music. Video games! I'm quite an avid gamer, well, used to be back in the day, although i've slowed down quite a bit recently. The onset of uni work really does begin seem to kick in...
I suppose I get to let loose a little of my nerd side here and blog about some of my favourite music from games. How ironic, after trying to put on a cool-guy air for so long...

I was originally gonna just post my top 5 game songs/game music in one big mega-post but in the end I decided to spread it out a bit. For longevity's sake. Okay, so i'm being an indescribable cheapass and just dragging things out...but at least I can write a bit longer on each song/artist/thing, right? Heh, also gives me time to think about what no. 4 and 5 are. :D

Anyways, here goes, in no particular order.

Lithium Flower - Scott Matthew / Yoko Kanno / Tim Jensen

Okay, so this isn't a game-song, full stop. But I just had to put it somewhere, anywhere, because it's that good. So I settled with in here. Possibly my favourite anime-related song of all time (at the moment). I originally heard it on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on an ad for Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, some time ago. Instant love with this song. I can't say i'm a fan of the anime though, it's probably quite good, but I never really took the time to watch the series. Will probably do in the near future though.

Actually, anime is great in that same way as games too. How d'ya make a good as anime (ala Naruto, Bleach, etc) better? Have artists such as Yui, Home Made Kazoku and Alice Nine perform the openings and endings! Such an innovative way of spreading the music love. And it works darn well too, even for some of the odder or less-well known artists that you'd never normally listen to - it really gives them a chance to shine, and you hear their music in a context that you otherwise normally wouldn't listen to.

This song's a combination of the creative genius of Yoko Kanno, who composed it, with lyrics by Tim Jensen and vocals done by Scott Matthews.

Best known as S.A.C's ending theme song, Lithium Flower has got this sterile feel. Not sterile as in it's been so stripped clean that the song's just left impotent, devoid of any soul. More of a cool-sterile kind of thing to it. Laid back. Is that the term? All in all, a pretty simple song, but. it. is. pure win. There's not too many instruments in it, just your straight rock instruments consisting of bass, guitar, drums and mad vox. But I suppose it's the simplicity that makes Lithium Flower what it is.

The lyrics have are pretty trippy, they follow the digital-age thing going on in the anime. Probably would describe my perfect woman, lol. Just to clarify though, I'm not referring to any digital/fictional girls here. >_>

--
she's so cold and human
it's something humans do
she stays so golden solo
she's so number nine
she's incredible math
just incredible math

and is she really human?
she's just so something new
a waking lithium flower
just about to bloom
I smell lithium now
smelling lithium now

how is she when she doesn't surf?
how is she when she doesn't surf?
how is she when she doesn't surf?
I wonder what she does when she wakes up?
when she wakes up

so matador
so calm
so oil on a fire
she's so good
she's so goddess lithium flower
so sonic wave
yeah, she's so groove, yeah
she's so groove
yeah

wow, where did she learn how to surf?
wow, where did she learn how to surf?
wow, where did she learn how to surf?
you know I've never seen the girl wipe out

how does she so perfectly surf?
how does she so perfectly surf?
how does she so perfectly surf?
I wonder what she does when she wakes up?

I wanna go surfing with her
I wanna go surfing with her
I wanna go surfing with her
I wanna go surfing with her

Maybe I should consider doing an anime sound favourites or something...

[lyrics taken from http://www.animelyrics.com/Anime/ghostshell/lithiumflower.htm ]

Open Your Heart - Crush 40

This one's the theme song for Sonic Adventure, originally for the (sadly) now defunkt Dreamcast console. Another song that I really like. I remember repeatedly playing the final boss as Super Sonic on that game just to hear this song being played. Man was that cool. When I was like, 10. And then my dreamcast eventually died on me... :/ Looking at the cover brings back memories.

Crush 40 do pretty good music in general, usually updated hard rock versions of classic tunes from Sega games, as well as the theme songs for the newer games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. What really stands out to me is how they layer their music. Not only the guitars, but the vocals too. Parts of some of their songs border a bit on the edge of, hmm... not really my tastes, but then the majority of it is all good eh.

Open Your Heart. Man, time passes, music tastes have developed, but this song still has a place in my iPod playlist.

One of the highlights for me was Jun Senoue's guitarwork on this song. The intro somehow brings to mind a mental image of the effect of a cluster bomb on a fretboard, a spatter of electrified notes with some nice reverb to give it a badass far-off sounding effect. It's cool how Jun Senoue's guitar complements the song without stealing the show. Too much. I also love it how he incorporates the harmonics into the rhythm. And the solo. Man i'm a solo nut...

And there's jussssst the right combination of sustain and vibrato in the vocals to make you go wild. Plus another undeniably catchy chorus to boot. It's not many bands that can layer their vocals and make it sound un-cheesy. Like the above, the lyrics to this song were probably written for the purposes of the game in mind, but still sounds cool all the same in other places. It just wouldn't be Crush 40 without Johnny Gioeli's rockstar vocals.

All in all, a band with good tastes that I hope to keep hearing more of in the future! :D

HINOI team - Night of Fire

2008-04-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

I've been starting to get into a bit of eurobeat lately, and this is what I found through searching "Para Para" on Youtube. When I was supposed to be doing an assignment. It's quite funny. I've gotta agree with what SB said when I linked him. The guy looks so out of place in it. The first time I saw this, I laughed as hard as when I saw Ai Otsuka's Smily PV.

I don't know anything about them, but somehow I get the feeling that I've heard this before - it sounds like an Initial D song. Quite catchy. One thing's for sure though...things could get a bit weird if it gets stuck in my head. XD

Anyways, here's the youtube link to the Night of Fire PV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCAFl_tqw1w&feature=related

And here is what seems to be an instructional video of how to do the dance?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iIwJdQDcSA

Maybe something to try while VERY, very drunk. Or even sober, for some of us.

One of their members, Hinoi Asuka also has some solo works of her own, so could be worth checking out if you're into this kinda stuff. I think i'll try search for some info. on them on Wikipedia later. That place is pro as for anything and everything.

[EDIT: Noting the comment below, I am mistaken about Hinoi Asuka. Cheers for the info. though :)]

ONE OK ROCK (ワンオクロック) - Naihishinsho / And I Know / Yume Yume

2008-04-24T00:15:00.000-07:00

The other day I was eating a mint - roughly tic-tac sized, and then my friend cracked a joke which made me laugh. I forgot that I had the mint in my mouth and accidentally sucked it in and half-choked on it. Anyways, a few minutes later, i'm walking along and I start to get this wasabi-effect in my upper left nostril with a bit of a tingly feeling. Y'know, that super clearness where you can smell every smell in the world, both good and bad, filtered through a tinge of minty freshness. After I blew my nose..yeah, naaasty. Moral of the story? Mints can be ruthless as...be careful guys!

Don't ask why I added this. Trying to add in a bit of variety to my posts every once in awhile, I suppose, lol... >_>
--

Anyways, here's the main.

ONE OK ROCK!

I found out about them by accident while on one of my Youtube lazy days (which occur quite often). Naihi Shinsho is a pretty sweet song, and probably my favourite out of the three of theirs I've heard so far. It kicks off with a catchy guitar line and cool fast-tempo beat to go, which brings to mind +44's When Your Heart Stops Beating and Lycanthrope. It's one of those songs that you can hear the first 5 or so seconds of and just think, "Yeop, this is gonna be a hella good song." And you won't regret thinking that either. Taka's singing style is pretty unique in the way he changes tone of his voice, between the verses and chorus. All-in-all, a good, good rock that will keep you entertained for many days (and hopefully longer) to come.

The PV is kinda reminiscent of Alice Nine's Cosmic World with the white screen in the back, although very different. With the flashes of the random ring-looking girl and dreadlocks dude in front of the car. Simple, yet a good as rock PV focussing mostly on the band.

And I Know is another great song of theirs. It's takes a slower approach than Naihi Shinsho, as it's more ballad-like, I'd say. From the album, 'Keep it Real'. Unfortunately, it seems this one didn't make it as a single. However, it'd definitely be a stand out track on the album, even though I haven't heard Keep it Real. Yet. There's no PV for it (that I can find anyways), but check someone's fan-vid on the sidebar all the same!

Yume Yume. This song is another song with a beat. I found it really cool how it starts off with one of their guitarists, Tora, doing the verse. The guitar takes a slight funk edge, which adds to the unique quality of this song. And then when the singer comes in with the chorus, whoaah. The addition of the keyboard is brilliant, and complements the song really well. Another song which will leave you with another memorably catchy chorus to hum. Very nice solo in the middle too, I must add.
I could keep talking/typing about how much I like this song, which I've been listeng to for the past 30 minutes or so, non-stop, but I'll leave you all to listen to check it out yourselves. :D
Actually, I'd say this song is in competition for favourite ONE OK ROCK song with Naihi Shinsho, for me anyways.

Something cool I just found out, donno where to say it so i'll just add it here. Their new live dvd concert, entitled 世の中のシュレッダー (Yononaka Shredder), just recently came out on the 19th of March. Probably worth checking out if you like their music!

RUSSELL PETERS!

2008-04-20T01:25:00.000-07:00

[Hmm, every day seems to be an emo hair day lately...not that i'm emo... >_>]

Okaaay! Now, this isn't related to J-music. Actually, it's not even remotely related to music, but I was browsing through youtube (again.) and I found this posted on, so decided to yeah.

Russell Peters! Friggin BRILLIANT comedian is all I can say. :D
The Comedy Now 45 minute video. This never ceases to crack me up. Check it out! Or, watch it again, lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24Ryj1ywoqw

ALSO! SUPPORT HIM AND BUY HIS OUTSOURCED DVD! (Live concert from San Francisco)
It is greatness on a disc.

Here's his site if you wanna find out more..or, there's always Wikipedia...

www.russellpeters.com/

Since when did Youtube scrap their 10 minute vid limit?

Credits to Blossoming for showing this to me originally all those years ago. XD

MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - Zetsubou Billy

2008-04-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

[Yes! Finally, it's here! The long-awaited new post! I think i'm the only one getting excited about it...]

Alrighty, I recently finished watching the DeathNote series and man that's one intelligent anime. Normally I don't listen to the heavier side of J-music, so I never thought that i'd be saying this, but this song has really kinda grown on me.

Generally speaking, I don't like extremes in terms of music. Put on your good L'arc~en~Ciel, Luna Sea, HandMC - that kinda stuff and I'm on cloud nine. But the heavier, darker bands like Dir en Grey aren't really my vein of music. I suppose i'm quite mainstreamed, so to speak. But really, this song is darn cool. Maybe not for everyone cool, but toe-tapping-headbanging cool, in the confines of your room or car. I must sound like an advertising billboard here. T_T

Of course, you're probably never going to hear this song on a Saturday morning cartoon. Okay, I am quite mistaken there. But you get the idea. However, Zetsubou Billy's not your standard metalcore screamo song with three guitar chords and some guy who's just inhaled a lot of helium that just sounds too extreme for normal sane people to handle. Instead, they intertwine the occasional screams with their own technical blend of uniquely interesting musicianship, the result of which is definitely Guitar Hero material. The guitar in the intro-verse will just have you wanting to air guitar to the days. I've gotta add that while this is happening, the switch from the clean singing to the howd'yadescribeit...insanity rap is quite a nice touch. The chorus is worth mentioning too. It's got a bit of a rugged half mental-edge to it and yet still retains all catchiness. And then just when you think you know this song inside and out after hearing the shortened version 11 times as the second ending to DeathNote, the female vocals kick in, and make the song that much cooler. Especially after the breakdown, Nao's singing brings in just a whole new element to the song, albeit being only for a short few seconds. Drummers that can sing always seem to be good singers.

They remind me of the band Atreyu actually, back in their 'The Crimson' days. Haven't heard any of their newer stuff though, but if you like music like this, chances are that you've probably already heard of Atreyu too.

The PV is, of course, dark. It's gotta be, for a theme to an anime like DeathNote, and to suit their lyrics. It'd just be wrong if they had anything else. It's pretty cool how they keep up the Kira theme in the vid. When I saw it for the first time, I mistook their bassist for Flea, from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They have pretty similar tattoos, and from the angle you see him, the hair (kind of) looks similar. But then you begin to note that its not him. After the n-th time watching the PV. Hahah, I just had a mental image of this song to an Ai Otsuka-esque video. Ohhh man...that wouldn't work too well.

I'm probably not gonna listen to any other heavy songs for quite awhile, not many usually make my playlist these days. Particularly because currently i'm quite addicted to that Perfume song, Secret Secret. But worth checking out, at least once. Just to hear something different in a crazily cool kind of way.

Just curious though, if anyone knows, is there another band in the PV too?

m-flo

2008-04-14T04:31:00.001-07:00

[And I feel yeaaaaaahyahhh, yeaaaaaahyah...]

Okaaay, so its not really more new material just hitting the charts again... but its good stuff, right? By the way, they have a new-ish best 'm-flo Award SuperNova -loves best- album. Looks pretty mint. **Note cover below.

Generally as a rule of thumb, I don't touch the hip-hop/rap side of music much. Linkin Park was probably the closest that it got.

HOWEVER, m-flo is one of the very few exceptions that I think I'll ever listen to consistently. They don't do like, the usual hard stuff that you see dominating the airwaves all day. Instead they do more melodic stuff, y'know, good beats, with vocals you can listen to without wanting to knock someone out. Actually, they've kinda opened me up to similar artists like HOME MADE KAZOKU.

Something that cracked me up was when I found out that Verbal's in the Teriyaki Boys. No disrespect. Tokyo Drift. Man that song is weirdly addictive.

I originally heard them when they still had Lisa with them, 'Been So Long', 'Hands', L.O.T (Love or Truth), the old stuff. It was alright eh. 'Hands' was especially good, with the contrast between Lisa's singing and VERBAL's rapping, and the piano to the drum backbeats. But their 'm-flo loves' era is friggin breakthrough. It's Verbal and DJ Taku plus special guest artists. Can only describe it as epic. 'Specially m-flo loves Minmi - Lotta Love, from the album Cosmicolor. The first time you hear the song it's like, huh? Is Minmi off key a bit there? And then you listen to it again and man is it wow, wouldn't have it any other way. It'd be a pretty mean song to hear pumping through some speakers in a club. I currently have that as the alarm on my phone to wake me up in the mornings. It's like my dose of caffeine for the day. The PV is pretty cool too. Those kids like, are more krunk than most people I know. Oh, and the Yasutaka Nakata Capsule Remix version of the song is pretty psychedelically trippy. Just as epic. You'll see. Check the stream bar on the right.

Other notable songs I quite like are:
m-flo loves EMYLI and Diggy MO' - DOPAMINE : Such a funky song. Gotta love everything about it. It's just music for the generations. I can't really pin what instrument that's going in the background but it just blends in with the song like butter. Excuse another bad analogy. But yeah, DJ Taku doing the DJ'ing at his best with the crew, making good good music.

m-flo loves EMYLI & YOSHIKA - Loop In My Heart（Home Frown Remix）: Alrighty! This is the best version of this song, from the remix album...DOPE SPACE NINE! I don't know why on most places it says 'Home Grown Remix', but it says this one their site, so i'll go with it. The music to the original version of this song was alright to me, but this version just kicks it up quite a few notches. Nonetheless, another good song you can listen to to the days.

m-flo loves melody. & 山本領平 - miss you : A pretty easy listening song with smooth as vocals. Hm...what else can I say about it? Deeeejayyyy, play that music louder. I think that about sums it up. Oh, I love the PV how it just goes on and on. It's pretty neat-o how they did it.

I read on Wikipedia though that Cosmicolor/ Electricolor: Complete Remix was going to be their last 'm-flo loves' mix though... half hope the rumours aren't true, half wondering what they'll pull out next, but we'll see eh...

Man they've got trippy as sunglasses on all of their cd covers... I want a pair too.

PERFUME - シークレットシークレット Secret Secret

2008-04-11T04:29:00.000-07:00

Hmm...been a bit lately again lately so haven't really posted much...

BUT! Check this out!
Damned addictive new song by none other than...

PERFUME!

From the new 2nd album 'Game'. I've been called 'womanly' numerous times for listening to them lol. Yeah. You know who you are. But man are they catchy...listen to Electro World and yeah. Oh, and this song. Instant fandom. I'm quite tempted to get their album. Yasutaka Nakata I think it is doing the backing music? Good as stuff. Kind of brings to mind that X-files theme song remix that I've had in my head these past few days.

I have to thank renaye whose blog I read to find out about them from

And Boogie who told me to watch this PV. :D

Aya Hirano - NEOPHILIA

2008-04-03T04:14:00.000-07:00

Today, I was sitting in a stats lecture, but this time I dozed off in it...
I went to another stats lecture later on in the day to catch up on what I missed out, but man, I fell asleep in that one too lol...didn't wake up until a friend sitting next to me punched me. Hahah, what a wakeup call that was.

Man it feels weird to not open a post with a pic.

Hmm, I'm not really sure what to say about this one, other than that I really like the song. I'd say it rivals Nami Tamaki's Brightdown, but most likely because I heard both songs at around the same time lol.

I like this PV more than Nami's Brightdown. It's pretty abstract, focussing mostly around Aya, a crash test dummy and a lot of running mascara, but the simplicity kind of makes it that much better, so to speak. I think the song and PV mesh together pretty nicely.

Aya always keeps her music in a pop-rock setting, which is always nice to hear. When I originally heard her song 'God Knows...', I thought it was friggin' great, but Neophilia is quite a step away from the happy-happy image that I have of her. It's got hmm...how d'ya describe it...shows a more mature side to her music? Both sides are equally good though eh.

Another song I think I'll be listening to on repeat for awhile.

ALICE NINE アリス九號

2008-04-03T04:03:00.000-07:00

[Welcome to...]

So! A lot of you out there have probably heard of these guys. A five member band consisting of: a singer (Shou), a bassist (Saga), drums (Nao) and of course, two guitars (Tora and Hiroto). I first found out about this band when I stumbled across their White Prayer and Akatsuki PV's while endlessly Youtubing one day last year. They're a bit fanservicey, but man do they they rock pretty hard. Actually, come to think of it I'm a bit of an outcast as a fan... if you've seen any of their live clips, you'll see why lol.
Maybe I like them so much because I've always wanted to be in their position, making cool rockaholic music, thousands of screaming girls as fans...[daydreaming...]. Hmm...I could probably say that about a lot of bands though to be honest.

Shou's vocals are somehow a bit reminiscent of Hyde's singing from L'arc~en~Ciel, which is pretty cool. Clean, but with a taste for rock. Their music is all really unique, with songs ranging from experimental electronica-ish music such as the interlude, Cradle to [ALPHA], to the amazingly catchy Cosmic World in all of Tora's synth-guitar glory, to even the heavier stuff. Such as Yami ni Chiru Sakura. Which is a little to heavy for me on most days. Oh, and I just have to mention 'Gin no Tsuki Kuroi Hoshi' somewhere, which is another song worth looking at, so I'll just add it in here.

I like all of their songs quite a lot, from the softer stuff to the heavier stuff, but these ones just had to have their own, y'kno. Space.

Akatsuki. This song, as well as White Prayer, really got me addicted to this band. Call me weird, but hey, good music is good music, right? Akatsuki's been on my playlist for quite awhile now, and it still hasn't gotten old. Yet. I like the instrumental version just as much. The PV is really cool as well. It's set in sort of a deserted mansion, with a damned cool backlight and sweeping camera angles, which gives it a nice, empty feel. Good, good Visual Kei at its finest.

White Prayer. This one's got this intangible element of mystique to it. Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm a bit weird, but yeah. It starts off a bit soft, but when the chorus comes in, WOW does it really kick in. Although they're not that complicated, the guitars really intertwine with the song, complementing it really well. The bass really comes through at times, particularly during the softer parts, giving it that extra touch. I wouldn't substitute the drums for anything else either. It's a song that is definitely likely to appeal to most people, hard-rockers and soft-rockers alike :)

Velvet has to have the most badass intro to a PV/song I've seen yet. Such an amp-up song, yet so refined. They really go a bit wild in this one. It borders on the edge of heavy, so if you're more of a soft-rock kinda person this may not be for you. But then again, if you love music from artists like The Gazette, then this is probably right up your street. Another really dynamic PV. I love it how they keep you guessing when it's gonna end.

Also, check out some of their live clips! They put on a pretty dynamic show. Particularly 'Time Machine' from Alice in Wonderfilm, and 'Q' from their more recent 'HELLO, DEAR NUMBERS' concert.

須藤あきら (Sudou Akira) - Waiting for YOU

2008-04-01T22:26:00.000-07:00

Whoa! it's been awhile since my last post...bad, bad, bad...been a bit busy with other things lately...

Ohhh man, this morning I was sitting in a lecture, and the guy put up A LOT of notes to copy down. So like, the whole class around me is silently writing them out with frivolous intent. Of course, being the lazy dude I am, I decided to just economise on time and cameraphone it. Unfortunately, I forgot to turn off the shutter noise. Needless to say, much dissing from the lecturer ensued...

Well, that's my stupid thing for the year done lol.

Alrighty, enough random things for now and onto the main event. The music.

[Waiting for YOU]

So it isn't the newest song on the block. But damn will it rock your socks off! If you haven't yet heard it, I suggest you do. If you already have, listen to it again. Akira Sudou is probably one of the best female rock singers to appear these past 20-or-so years. In most of her songs, she's got a pretty rugged hard-edge feel to her voice, but when she sings clean, man does it sound smooth.

Waiting for YOU is probably my favourite song of hers, out of the one's I've heard so far. There's like, this feeling of ephemeral emptiness to it, ykno? In a good way. Not that I have any idea what the song's about, but yeah. It's one of those songs you can listen to to burn away the endless summer nights, reminiscing as the world passes you by. Or in my case, in front of a PCscreen at 2 am...

...damn I sound like an old man...

I first heard it as the ending to the anime, Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040. Although I only saw maybe two or three episodes of the anime, the music hooked me pretty fast (the anime itself was pretty good too, but I never really got a chance to see any more of it). Then I found out that it also features on the album 'As Sekiria', which contains pretty much all of the anime's music (honestly, any anime that can incorporate a fictional band which makes rock music has gotta be good). There's also another version of the song called 'Waiting for YOU (Re-Tracked)' on it too. It's got a pretty trippy tribal mix-ish kind of thing to it, but retains all the greatness of the original. Basically the same song, but with a different feel. Her other songs are your pretty catchy mainstream-with-a-twist songs. My personal next best few are: 'y'know' (the anime's opening), ぶっきらぼうな愛に溺れたい Bukkirabou na Ai ni Oboretai (...somehow this song always reminds me of the colour blue...don't ask...>_>) and あなたの海 anata no umi (this one has the strangest intro to a song, but...you'll see...), Make A Motion (funky-ish rock with a grungy groove?) and トンネルの中の惑星 Tunnel no Naka no Wakusei. Blue Image is also quite a nice rock ballad.

Now begs this one question...What ever happened to Akira Sudou!!??

[Oh, and by the way, the images were found from this fan-site http://interne.to/akira/disco.html]

Nami Tamaki - BRIGHTDOWN

2008-03-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Nami Tamaki always makes headbangingly good music. This is another one of her brilliantly catchy pop songs set to a heavier backdrop. Kinda reminds me a bit of her cover of Luna Sea's Storm. Over time she seems to be making a move more towards a rock side and less of the Believe/Reason style of music that she started with. Which is all cool eh. She's an amazing, amazing singer. 19 years old only? And already famous with a plethora of albums, singles, songs, anime openings, the list can go on. I got hooked on her instantly after hearing Dreamers. Man that's a good as song. This is like, the sequel. Well, in terms of addictiveness anyways. New album entitled 'Don't Stay' is set for release on 23 April, with this song on it. Must, must listen.

The only thing I didn't like is the background dancers in the PV. I donno, call it personal taste, but i've never really taken too much of a fancy to background dancers in things eh, 'specially when there's like, a band involved... Maybe it's because it always brings me back to a BAD, bad mental image of a friend's suggestion (whose name shall remain undisclosed due to the extremely high risk of grievous bodily harm to me) that I should try to play Fade in the TQ to a cd with some people dancing around me...lol. Or it could be that i'm artistically illiterate...who knows...

Even so, it's still pretty h-h-h-HOT! (Excuse the bad pun...)

Luna Sea

2008-03-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been listening to this band waaaaaaay more than usual. A weird combination of Dejavu and Rosier on repeat in my head... so good for when you're on the bus and there's some random down the back with his headphones cranked so loud with weird techno music that it overpowers everyone else's headphones. Then again, people start to think you're a bit crazy when you start tapping your head in time to the imaginary music. And then air guitarring...

I don't think Luna Sea have ever actually released a bad song. Even one. From Gravity to Dejavu and everything else in between, they've got it all. The rock ballads. The emotion. The friggin crazy stuff with style. Honestly, these guys have their own unique brand of rock that'll just eat you up and leave you to digest, so to speak.

Somehow they always remind me of Skid Row...don't ask...

Unfortunately they've broken up already. But! They did have the ~One Night Dejavu~ reunion concert late last '07, around December I think. From what i've seen of it so far (on youtube...gahahahah...) it looks darned cool. The sound on youtube is a bit strange though, one of the guitars is a lot louder than the other. It's definitely worth checking out eh - all their best in one concert. Also, I've read on Wikipedia that Sugizo, their bassist is now in a 'superband' called S.K.I.N with Yoshiki from X-Japan and Gackt...but haven't heard anything from them yet. Leave a comment if you have any info. on this! Leave a comment anyways even if you don't!

The cover of the Luna Sea Memorial Cover Album -Re:birth-! Featuring covers of their songs by a lot of good bands!

My top three from the album are:

Storm - Nami Tamaki : Trippy as version of the song. Actually, I was a bit skeptical of how it'd be like at first, but it's pretty darn good

Rosier - HandMC : Loved the original! Love this version! My all time #1 favourite cover of Luna Sea on this album!

Sweetest Coma Again - Abingdon Boys School : Nice.

このは(Konoha) / cloudy dayz - ナイトメア Nightmare

2008-03-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

Konoha! Great single from the band Nightmare! Actually, pretty much all the music I talk about will generally be good eh :D

This one's a bit softer than most of their other songs, with a bit of a jazzy-esque feel to it, but they still keep their good visual kei/rock edge to it. Their last single, Raison d'etre, the opening to Claymore somehow didn't appeal to me that much. It was alright eh, but personally I think this one comes off a lot catchier.

The other track, 'cloudy dayz', is darn cool. Lots of trippy guitar stuff in there. It's not entirely a heavy song, but also not 100% soft either. A combination of both I suppose. And the guitars. It's the first thing that hits you. After the intro. And then the verse and chorus. Maaan..very, very nice. Sakito and Hitsugi are on fire! Again lol. I apologize for the fact that I'm not talking about too much else other than guitars lol. But another cool song too, nonetheless.

[Edit: Whoa. Just found out there's a PV for cloudy dayz too. Pretty intensely cool. Check it out on the sidebar link!]

L'arc~en~Ciel - DRINK IT DOWN

2008-03-24T14:10:00.001-07:00

I don't really think I need to describe who this band are - just the name does it all lol. Another one of my favourite J-rock bands though, as you can probably guess...

From its darkly haunting intro, L'arc's new single looks something straight outta a Resident Evil movie. Which is brilliant, considering I recently saw that movie lol. Alright, alright, so that's probably because it's the theme song to the Devil May Cry 4 game too. The song leads off with sort of 80's-esque horror tune (which kinda grows on you after awhile actually... >_>) but then the band kicks in pretty quickly and it's the L'arc we all know and love. Well, at least me anyways lol. They take a slightly more metallish edge on this song, testament to their ever-flexible style. As they keep on bringing out new material like this, its no wonder they've been around for so long - single #35! Another thing I like about bands like them is the little details they throw in throughout the song, like the hint of synth underlying the music. It just makes my day.

Hmm... the breakdown. Is damned mean. That's all else I can say. You've just gotta check it out yourself. XD

It's too bad there's no guitar solos though...lol...I like guitar solos....but I suppose it probably wouldn't fit in this one anyways eh.

Oh, and by the way, the single itself is out on 02 Apr. '08! According to HMV.jp

High and Mighty Color - ROCK PIT

2008-03-23T22:39:00.001-07:00

Whoa, so the new HandMC album came out! 19th March 2008! (I'm a bit late on it...). Seems only yesterday that I was searching like crazy for San...time goes by waay too fast...

I remember waay back, when they first came out with GooVER (dammit, can't draw that cool sideways 8 thing...), a good as friend of mine said something along the lines of, "DAAAAAAAAANG, LISTEN TO THIS! It's hella good." That was probably part of the beginnings of a longtime obsession with this band. And a lot of J-music come to think of it.

Probably one of the main reasons I started this up was that I heard their newest single, "FLASHBACK". And man is it goooood. Just gotta spread the news. Yuusuke doesn't use his machinegun vocals in this one, which was a bit of a shock at first. He sings! And his singing's good as ever. Maaki's vocals are timelessly entrancing. They just blend seamlessly with MEG and Kazuto's dual guitars, SASSY's drumming and mACKAz's driving bass. This is probably gonna be my favourite song for awhile now lol. Haven't heard much else from this album apart from "Amazing" and their incendiary cover of Luna Sea's "ROSIER", but yeah, it's already enough to rock your socks off, so to speak.

Man, they just don't get old. Twin guitars. Twin vocals. Can't forget about their drummer and bassist too. J-rock at it's finest. In fact, if you haven't already done so, I definitely recommend that you check out all of their albums, songs, PV's and pretty much anything related to them.

More to follow! maybe.

2008-03-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

Whoa, what do people usually write in these things anyways?
I'm not so much of a writer, but this one's gonna be mostly on my ramblings about the cool, random and sometimes strange music that I find out about and listen to...something to do I guess lol.

Who knows? Maybe i could even get headhunted to write for Rolling Stone one day, if i improve my writing A LOT. Okay, maybe not. But yeah, we'll see where this goes eh. I'll try to write something new occasionally. Hopefully it'll be interesting enough.

Oh, and for all of you wondering about the origins of this blog. The offspring of my procrastination. Was sitting down to do an assignment. 5 minutes later, before I know it, I'm writing about HandMC's new album...